Condolences to my dream 929
In an utterly disappointing show of pride, stupidity and
recklessness... I expressed total disregard for other road users
and the safety of my pillion...and with that act, I have shattered
my once held "ultimate dream bike" image that I had assigned to the
Fireblade CBR 929...
Tonight was a cool and clear night and it is a welcomed change from
the weather we have experienced over the past weekend, when it
rained on both nights of the weekend.
Adjourning home from the carpark at Changi Airport, I chanced upon
my "dream bike" with my "dream colours"... the Fireblade 929...with
the fabled ERION RACING paintwork... exact replica of the paintwork
found on the World Superbike Honda of 2001/02 (I think)...parked
nearby... (I will refrain from using the vehicle number of the bike
in mention, just that the bike is relatively new...an FU-plate)...
the rider seemed unimpressed by my zx6r... and showed it by pulling
hard toward the carpark exit, slamming on the brakes, and pulling
hard along the stretch of road before the beautiful S-bend heading
toward the ECP...I decided to bite my lip and refrain from
resorting to such childish antics to prove my riding prowess (not
that I have much anyway) nor to prove the worthiness of the zx6r...
(and anyway, I had a pillion onboard...it would be selfish of me to
put my pillion's life in danger, just for my own pride)... but
lo-and-behold... fate chose to deal me with a huge
temptation...
A slight traffic jam caused by a night time construction along the
ECP below the runway crossing bridge for the planes at the
terminal, resulting in 4 lanes merging into one single lane...led
me to creep up to where my "dream bike" was, and as the single lane
spread to a two lane road, I was behind him... I chose to ignore
him and take the opening of the 2nd lane... but he apparently was
not eager to let a puny 600cc bike overtake his mighty 929ccs... he
tried to swing outwards to prevent me from taking it... but as I
was already in, it would have been suicide for him to actually stop
me... so as I passed him at less than 40km/h...we were both in 3rd
(could see his kicking movements)... he chose to drop a gear while
I passed and raised his revs to stick beside me...
NOW... I already "REN" (mandarin term "to resist" ) from playing
with him, but this 2nd show of "disrespect" really PISSED ME OFF
... and in a folly of pride and recklessness, I gave in to the
temptation to prove that my zx6r was not to be shown such
disrespect ... (we are both class 2 sports bikes...why the
difficulty in showing mutual respect when we can show respect for
bikes of different capacities?)
Pulling hard in 3rd gear, I heard the roar of my kwaks' ram air,
and the revving of the 929 in 2nd next to me... I put some distance
between my "puny 600" and the mighty 929...ON THE STRAIGHT ROAD of
the ECP ... revving till 10,000rpms before each gear change... I
left him 4 car lengths before approaching the S-bend that links the
ECP to the PIE(jurong)...and with utter disregard for my pillion's
safety, I took the bend while looking into my side-mirror hoping to
catch a glimpse of the mighty 929 behind me, but alas!!!!... he was
no where to be seen... out the bend... into the straight... my
speed drops to about 130km/h... (I know I know... speeding...
sigh)... I see his headlight pop out from behind the headlights of
a car... approaching fast... I roll-on the throttle and maintained
a distance of 4-5 car lengths... taking the slip road onto the SLE,
I slowed down to see his mighty 929 match speeds with me on his
side of the PIE... (now in a classless show of disrespect)... I
gave him the thumbs down... not knowing if he saw my attempt to rub
salt into his wounds of being thrashed by a bike 330ccs less than
his...
Happy from the so-called "win"... the realisation that I had
behaved recklessly and had not shown the finesse of a rider who
should be disciplined enough to keep his speed on the tracks made
me begin to regret my actions... worse still... I began to realise
that what many people had said earlier about the bike was true...
that the 929 performance was lacking and left little to be
desired... I kept those sentiments at bay with the belief that it
was down to improper rider input which gave people such a bad
impression of the 929...and that this underdog would prove itself
worthy in the right hands... of a good rider and a good mechanic...
I even had plans to purchase a 929 for myself...
But...*poof*... up goes my "dream bike" in smoke... sigh...
So here I am... to just air my thoughts... to admit the stupidity
of my actions... and to put my "dream bike" to rest with all the
disappointments in my life...
HERE LIES THE FIREBLADE 929
DISGRACED BY A ZX6R
Disclaimer:
This article is not intended to demean or belittle the Fireblade
929...nor is it to insult any Honda or 929 supporter/rider...
It is purely the rantings of a frustrated rider who feels that
riders should choose to think twice before underestimating the
capabilities of a bike or the skills of another rider...regardless
of the engine capacity or age (or any other criteria).
The reckless actions mentioned in this article is not condoned by
law.
